Well. I’m sure that Daniel Asa Rose’s book “Larry’s Kidney,” available at fine booksellers everywhere, will piss some people off. It doesn’t have an angelic potential organ recipient. It doesn’t flinch from the likely origins of the organ they find in China. And it doesn’t make any bones about the fact that what they did was illegal and iffy.
It is also hella funny, brutally honest and just a great tale. The short of it is that Daniel gets a call from his ne’er-do-well cousin, Larry, who is pretty much on his last legs with dialysis and still a long way from a transplant. They head for China to just take a chance, and network like crazy to get an organ.
Oh, and there’s a mail-order bride, and waltzing soldiers, and chicken feet, and the mob, and hot spy chicks.
I thought “Larry’s Kidney” was great because it was:
- An engaging story. (Why the word “rollicking” does not appear on the jacket is beyond me. It rollicks.)
- A great character study of both Black Sheep Larry and the author.
- A thought-provoking look at family, reflections on the past, and what we’ll do for family when it comes down to it.
- An honest portrayal of how people process ethical dilemmas and manage risk when lives are on the line.
Do I endorse everything they did? No, but neither would they. It’s a thinker.
I love that in the back there is a page that encourages organ transplant candidates not to go to China but also not to sit back and do as they’re told. I feel really strongly about that, too. The system kills several thousand people a year. Work every angle and find yourself a donor. Better yet, if you’re healthy, be a donor.
Dear Kidney Mama – I really appreciate your thoughtful summary of Rose’s book. I read it too.
Let me ask you: may I send you a copy of a book (I edited) on compensating organ donors?
There is considerable public receptivity to this idea but much resistance from the National Kidney Foundation.
I would be thrilled to have you on the “side” of the patients, doctors, legal scholars, and economists who are urging ethically creative means of expanding the donor pool.
Many thanks for your consideration,
Sally Satel
I would be delighted to read it. You can send it to me at Nancy Murrell, PO Box 23214, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.
Thanks!
Your story about Organ Donation highlighted the tragic shortage of human organs for transplant operations.
At least 9,000 of the 105,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list will die before they get a transplant. Most of these deaths are needless. Americans bury or cremate 20,000 transplantable organs every year.
There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage – give donated organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.
Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren’t willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.
Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at http://www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition. LifeSharers has over 13,000 members at this writing.
Please contact me – Dave Undis, Executive Director of LifeSharers – if your readers would like to learn more about our innovative approach to increasing the number of organ donors. I can arrange interviews with some of our local members if you’re interested. My email address is daveundis@lifesharers.org. My phone number is 615-351-8622.